Fees apply to all countries outside the European Union, but it is known that they will particularly affect goods imported into Europe from Asia, and especially from China, via platforms such as Temu, Shein, or AliExpress. These platforms allowed purchases of a huge amount of goods from China that were competitive with those produced on the Old Continent, mainly because of low price, which did not always match quality. According to EU politicians, this caused European economies to lose out, as local firms could not compete with Chinese enterprises. This happened partly due to higher operating costs in Europe. Now it should improve, as goods from China will require an additional fee, intended to deter customers. But will it really?
3 euros for every item in a package
Until July 1, 2026, packages from outside the European Union, including those from China, were exempt from customs duty, provided their value did not exceed 150 euros. Experts say this promoted cheap products that flooded European markets. They add that Chinese sales platforms often split shipments into smaller packages, each worth less than 150 euros, just to avoid extra fees. That has now changed. According to EU regulations that came into force on July 1, 2026, all goods outside the European Union are subject to a fee of 3 euros. In practice, this means that if a single package contains several different items, a fee of 3 euros per item will be charged, roughly 13 PLN. For a package with 5 different items, the additional fee will be 15 euros, just under 65 PLN.
Until now, only packages exceeding 150 euros, about 646 PLN, were subject to customs duty. Nevertheless, goods from outside the EU still incur VAT, which is added at the time of order. This has not changed with the new regulations.
Will fees be higher?
The 3‑euro fee per item from outside the EU is just the beginning. The European Union introduced a transition period lasting 2 years, until July 1, 2028. After that, new rules for bringing goods into “Community” countries will be implemented. It is not yet clear exactly how they will look, whether goods will be taxed independently of their value, or whether a different fee will be set for each product. Work is currently underway to prepare the expected changes.
These actions aim to strengthen the position of European companies. But not only that. EU officials have fought for years against cheap goods that do not meet European standards, to reduce their number reaching the Old Continent. As we reported on FXMAG, EU authorities have repeatedly shown that products from China can be of poor quality. That is not the only problem. A much larger issue was that many of them contained harmful substances, such as carcinogenic plastics. Some were found in goods, including toys for children. The EU specifically wants to fight such products, and the new regulations, including the introduced fees, aim to help do so effectively.
See also: Poles may forget cheap shopping. The European Union introduces a new fee on goods from China
